CAPA WORLD

In this week's vlog, Kendall shares her story of why she decided to study abroad with CAPA in London, touching on the many benefits of spending a semester in this global city and why it may be a great fit for you.

When you study abroad, there are some things you can prepare ahead for and tips you pick up along the way through experience. Fresh from finishing her semester in Barcelona, Maya looks back on her time abroad and lists 6 things she's realized over the last few months. She shares this and more practical study abroad advice in her last post—from balancing time in your host city to becoming more independent while doing things alone.

I wrote this blog post at 4am because jet lag is NO JOKE, and a six-hour time difference makes a big impact on your sleep schedule. Back in Barcelona, it is 10am. I would be up on my way to my favorite cafe, next to my flat, for a freshly squeezed orange juice and croissant before class. Can you tell I miss Spain already?

Studying abroad was one of the scariest and most exciting things I’ve ever done, and even though four months feels like forever, it went by SO fast. My housemates and I have been talking in our group chat since we left, crying about how much we want to go back! Being in Spain was a rollercoaster of opportunities, emotions, and never-ending new experiences. With that, here are my top takeaways from spending a semester in Barcelona.

Florence is known as THE city for art and history. One of the lesser known types of art in this city is its street art. In this week's post, Payton tells us about the street art scene in Florence and gives us some background on the artists and their inspiration for adorning the city with their expressions.

Everyone knows that Florence is chock full of art, just about everywhere you look. Generally when you think of art in Florence, your mind jumps to the renaissance, and artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli, Brunelleschi...I could go on and on. Florence is the home of the renaissance, but there’s so many other art forms that have been practiced here. One of them, that is pretty much impossible to ignore, is street art.

Street art lines the walls and street signs of Florence, in many different forms. In one single block you can find illegible graffiti, paste ups of Italian poetry, sculptures popping out of the wall, gorgeous paintings of people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and cheeky stickers with links to different movements and initiatives. I’ve taken notice of a few recurring motifs in the street art that I see all around town, and done some research to find out the meaning and the artists behind these urban masterpieces. So, without further ado, here are 3 different local street artists in Florence to follow during your semester abroad!

In her final post, Casey shares key pieces of advice that will help you through your study abroad journey in Dublin. Whatever you do, make sure you have all you need to prepare for the time of your year (and life) in this global city! Take it from a student who has spent a semester abroad in Dublin: plan ahead, enjoy the moments, and become a local in your city.

For China watchers, 1978 was a pivotal year—after nearly three decades of a planned economy under Chairman Mao, the famous leader’s passing, in 1976, was a prelude to China’s “Reform and Opening-up” led by Deng Xiaoping after he became the new leader in 1978. Thus 2018 marked the 40th anniversary of that reform, marked in part by the launch in Shanghai of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November.

However, December 18, 2018 marked the precise date that “Reform and Opening-up” was launched and the Shanghai authorities marked this by a short exhibition of “China stuff” from 40 years ago onwards—held in a specially erected steel tent near Zhongshan Park, one metro station from CAPA’s Shanghai campus. Starting just before the weekend to facilitate attendance, it ended on Tuesday, December 18 to commemorate the special day. I was privileged to get a ticket to attend and I did not see any other foreigners while there. I will discuss some of the exhibition highlights below, but first a bit more background.

In her first vlog of the semester, CAPA Florence student Oriana Garcia outlines the 3 areas you need to focus on to prepare for a semester in Florence: how to plan financially, how to get your visa, and how to pack!

In their first vlog of the semester, Emma talks about the process of buying plane tickets and applying for her visa to study abroad and intern in London, England this spring. She's gets real about the dos and don'ts of the process - so make sure to watch through!

In this week's vlog, Brielle discusses what made her interested in study abroad and why she chose to spend her entire senior year studying in Paris, France, and then in Florence, Italy with CAPA! 

In today's post, Mariah talks about her summer Travel Writing class with award-winning author and professor Michael Meyer, what their class trips were like, and the importance of documenting the city and practicing the art of travel writing.

I knew my decision to take the Travel Writing class would be a good one. My teacher, Professor Michael Meyer, is a fun and easy-going University of Pittsburgh professor who takes us to different museums and places around London to explore. Along the way, he assigns us weekly readings and encourages us to write about our experiences while teaching us different writing styles to improve our skills.

For our first class, we went to Hyde Park. As many of London’s park attractions, the park was full of green. Statues stood tall on every corner we turned and tourists wandered through the beautiful gardens and pathways. For this exploration, he wanted us to imagine a scene. We were told to take notice of what we see around us, engaging our five senses of smell, touch, sight, and sound. It was an interesting day where he told us to sit down, ‘open our eyes’ and just ‘take notice.’ I was meant to be the ‘fly on the wall,’ observing all that I see.

We’re very excited to introduce and welcome our team of official bloggers and vloggers for Spring 2019!

Each of them will receive a grant accompanied by an explorer fund while they are abroad to help them generate their semi-weekly stories here on CAPA World. From pre-departure thoughts through their reflection upon their return to the States, we will watch the stories of these students unfold as they learn about their host country, explore and discover the real city beyond stereotypes and expectations, interact with locals, focus on their academics and complete internships.

So who are they and where are they going?